Safe Haven
by BigMamaKat
Summary: (Set between the CDC and the prison. Playing with the timeline a little bit in terms of how much passed between the two. I haven't seen passed S4EP1 so don't worry about spoilers!) A woman appears with the promise of a safe haven. Will it be all she claims? Is it worth the risk? Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

A smell wafted through the air unlike any Daryl had experienced in, what felt like, a millennia. It was sweet, warm, inviting, and momentarily made his mouth water in anticipation before his senses kicked into gear. Such a smell could mean company close by. His guard drawn up, crossbow at the ready, eyes peeled for an immanent threat. Daryl counted on his years of experience, drawing on it as he mentally prepped himself surveying the wood around his as he went. No odd tracks, no sounds, no weird.. anything.

_Except_.. Coming to a small clearing in the trees, barely larger than two tents side to side, the source of the scintillating scent revealed itself. Dead center of the clearing was what appeared to be a makeshift oven, made entirely of large rocks and river stones. It's egg shape hid the sight of flames and thickly smoke from any passers by, living or dead, so that it would seem like nothing more than a pile of rubble if not for that smell.

Half his attention locked onto the sight no more than ten feet from him Daryl never noticed the security wire running along the ground. Tagging it with his toe as he moved forward a long echo of a moderately quiet bell ran out, causing Daryl to freeze, crouch, and check his surroundings for movement. Seeing none he continued under he wary assumption that the _resident's_ had momentarily vacated the premises.

Not an assumption he helf very strong, however, and one quickly shattered by an unseen rustling coming from his left. He scaned the tree line and the surrounding fauna yet not a single branch moved, not even in the breeze.

"Who are you and what do you want?" A hoarse whisper broke through the trees in the direction Daryl had been aiming however instead of being at eye level it came from much higher. Daryl fixed his sights on the tree tops before him, alert and ready.

"Why not try them questions again a little closer to tha' ground?"

Silence.

"There's bread in the oven and it's all I have. Please, just take it and go." The voice bargained, weakness and desperation lacing the plea.

"I don't want your stuff, I –" A crash sounded as a figure jumped from the tree landing somewhat unsteadily, machete in hand. The opposite of the meak uncertain voice that moments before crept through the leaves.

"You didn't come to take my stuff?"

Daryl began to respond whatn a bell sounded lightly in the distance. The stranger tensed.

"It's okay," she said. "Just one be-" her reassurance was cut off by numerous going off in sequence. Panic flushed her pale face as she pulled a hudden rope from the tree she had just decended, whispering a quick "_hurry!_" as she nodded up the rope, making her way up expertly. Daryl shouldered his crossbow and followed suit.

Not stopping at the first branch but instead following her to the very top, Daryl quickly realized that this woman had made this tree her home. The bottom layer of the tree was full of the dead – the actual dead. Bits and pieces of walkers were hung all about the trees bottom half like some sort of morbid Christmas tree. Higher up there hung her packs, her gear. Right u at the top, much to Daryl's surprise, was her bed. A real, genuine bed at the top of a tree, hooked up tight and dangling between the branches.

Still aware of the danger below them he saved his questions for later. Instead they looked down the tree and watched as a sizeable hoard of Walkers passed by.

What must have been at least a ten minute stretch went by before the Walker's dissipated at least. The woman let out a held breath, concern hardening her features, as she whispered The hoards are getting bigger.." She turned to speak to Daryl when realization dawned "Shit!" She exclaimed as she stared to make her way down the tree halting only a moment to look up at Daryl. "Stay? Wait?" The earnest look on her face made him nod in compliance despite himself. She flashed him a smile before descending, gone barely a moment before she was back again, bubbling with excitement.

"It's been so long since I've had someone to dine with!" She nearly squeaked out in anticipation. She pulled a small pack off her back and pulled out a bundle of rags, that same delectable smell from earlier making it's way straight to Daryl's stomach.

"Is that bread?" The shocked was obvious on his face, though he hid it as he spoke. "You some kinda wizard? How did you manage tha' livin' in an old tree?" He grabbed the chunk of loaf being handed to him and started in on it, pausing momentarily when he burnt his mouth or to make a noise of deep satisfaction. He didn't stop til it was done and even then he took a moment with his eyes shut before he realized he was still sitting in a tree with a strange woman. His eyes popped open to find her watching him with a light, somewhat sorrowful, smirk playing on her lips.

"Here." She said quietly, handing Daryl the other half of the loaf. Daryl hesitated.

"Did you do somethin' freaky to it? Why ain't you eatin'?" He started to withdraw.

"What? Wait, no." She laughed lightly. "I'm sorry but I lied earlier. The bread isn't all I have. In fact, I have plenty of food and can make another loaf of bread if the mood strikes me. You just.. you obviously haven't eaten in maybe a while, you need it more."

He reached for the bread, eating it decidedly slower this time.

"What are you doing up here?"

"Surviving?" She said with another sad smile. "I don't even know where I am, actually. I was on a run and was chased around a long way out of the way from where I wanted to go.. Then every time I tried to get back to my camp I was met with either some kind of major road block or a hoard of Dead. Eventually I got so turned around that, without a map, I ended up wandering to survive."

"Where were you when you started?"

"The Boreal Forest. Canada." She clarified after a pause.

"Shit.." A low chuckled rumbled in his throat. "Y'are a long _long_ ways off, that shits for sure. Hate to break it to ya but y'all are in Georgia."

Her eyes went wide, her mouth slack, before breaking into a fit of giggles.

"What the fuck! Are you fucking kidding me? Oh, fucking come on, you're fucking with me." Her laughter seemed to be contagious; Daryl found it hard to hold back a smirk. "How the fuck did I get so far.. I guess it's harder to keep track of time these days, I must've been at it longer than I thought."

"Are you nuts or something?" Daryl asked half-heartedly.

"Nuts.." She chuckled. "Oh! No! I'm not but I do have some!" She reached into a small bag dangling off a branch near her bed. "It makes perfect sense, being in Georgia after all. The Western world practically developed modern day peanut butter because of a man's discovery here! Of course, the Mayan's used them for years and years before Carver in the 1800's, though Western historians would of course rather everyone thinks that they thought of everything first, the lazy fuc-" A filthy calloused hand covered her mouth. She locked eyes with Daryl and looked away sheepishly, mumbling an apology the moment he removed his hand. "It's.. it's been a very long time since I've spoken out loud. My bad.. Sorry." She raised her hand and revealed a small collection of peanuts in her palm. "This was the point of -of all that.. Georgia was the start of industrialized peanuts. Hope you're not allergic." She smiled as she popped a couple into her mouth, handing the rest over to him.

He took them and got as comfortable on the branch as he could before looking over the strange woman before him. Her auburn hair was chopped barely an inch short and in a constant look of bed-head, her hair making her below average facial features stand out remarkably with sharp cheekbones and pouted lips. Dirt clouded her skin making her green eyes shine brilliantly.

"Um.. are you alone? Do – do you have a safe place?"

"Nah, I ain't alone. But I don' know about _safe_. It's touch 'n go most days. I've been trackin' a buck for near three days tryna' get somethin' decent to eat." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his cheek in frustration. "Walker musta got it by now from how many just went by." Looking around his eye caught a water bottle hanging from another branch and the woman saw his breath catch in his throat.

"It's empty. Sorry. I was supposed to do a water run but I don't know how safe that'd be right now."

"How'd you come 'cross all this gear anyhow?"

"Mmm.. Some of it was already mine. I was taking a bit of a spiritual retreat in the Rockies and by the time I came back.. Well, it didn't take me long to find out why my ride hadn't shown up to get me. I went straight to my brothers but he was already dead. He was a bit of a thrill seeker so I took a bunch of his equipment and got the hell out of there. Even after death he's still saving my ass.. That bed, though, definitely most grateful for that. It's one of those mountain climbing beds, ya know? Anyway.. I moved straight for the Forest, gathering stuff along the way. Made myself a comfortable place with plenty of food, clean water, and only ever saw the Dead on the rare occasion I had to go on a run."

"Wait.. You're tellin' me that you.." Daryl turned quiet and somber. "There's some people you need to meet."


	2. Chapter 2

"You really been carrying all this crap 'round on your back?"

Daryl helped the woman untie her gear from the branches of the tree, lowering them to the ground where the woman stood waiting. "Don't it slow you down?"

"You don't have to worry. Most of this was made for arduous journeys so it's made of fairly light material. Besides," she grunted, loading her gear together, tying bits here and there. "I have a system! The expendable stuff is the heaviest which gets packed separately and then attached to the bag." She pointed to her already finished pack. "See this overlap rope? If I need to ditch some weight I pull it and it all falls off."

"Just got a plan for everythin', don'cha?" Daryl scoffed. "We'll see how that all works out when you're runnin' from a herd and you trip over your rope."

At his comment her smile faltered for the first time since their meeting. It didn't last long, however, as the second they were en route towards Daryl's group a light smile graced her features once more. For reasons beyond him, the more she smiled the more agitated he got.

"Don't you ever stop that?"

"Sorry?"

"Smilin'."

"Oh.. That's right, eh? I guess I do that a lot. But why would that be a bad thing?"

"Man, you really must be crazy. Look around you, woman! Think of ya brother! You've got severed hands and feet hanging off your pack, for Christ' sake! What in the hell do you got to smile about?"

She halted as she thought, exhaling and leaning her head back towards the sky, closing her eyes. Simply pulsating with contentment. She put a hand on Daryl's shoulder and looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Shh – listen. Do you hear it? Those are birds still chirping and crickets still singing. Can't you feel it? There's a warm sun on your face and a breeze at your back. There are a lot of people that aren't here today to enjoy this so I'm gonna do it for them. Shit, if I came back as a ghost to find out the people still here weren't enjoying it as much as possible, I'd be pissed!" She shot him a grin and moved on. "Besides," she continued. "No law, no taxes, no jobs, no social pressure.. no tan lines." She looked back at Daryl and winked, noticing he was still standing where she left him, a perplexed yet disgruntled look about him. "Well, come on, I'm following you on this one, man!"

"Daryl." He grumbled as he caught up. "Daryl Dixon."

"Jade Palmer."

A comfortable silence fell between them as they continued on for hours, walking until the sun began to disappear behind the trees and the woods grew dim. They stopped and Jade began to set up camp, setting a long rope between her teeth as she climbed the tallest tree. After a time the tree was set up and Daryl was eying Jade warily.

"I ain't sleepin' in no tree." His eyes searched the trees surrounding them, cautious to watch for Walker's and a possible dinner.

"Fine, suit yourself, cause _I ain't sleepin' exposed on no ground_." She teased, strapping up the dead appendages and gear as she went. Reaching the top she tied a secure line between herself and the tree, moving to set up the bed. "You know, this will hold the both of us. It'll be tight but you'll be able to get a real nights sleep without fear of falling out or being eaten."

With a moments hesitation, a body check of his knives, and a grunt Daryl begrudgingly made his way up the tree.


	3. Chapter 3

***UPDATED: July 9th***

Darkness fell thick around them and they lay together on the hanging bed, nearly curled together in lack of space.

"Tell me about your people." Came Jade's whisper through the dark.

"Ain't much to say.. Couple women, couple kids, couple cops, an old guy, and an Asian. Used to be more. Used to be ma brother, Merle, but he ain't with us no more."

"I'm sorry. The Dead got him?"

"Nah, nothin' like that. He's alive somewhere, I guess."

Hearing how tense Daryl seemed about his brother's situation Jade didn't push it further.

"Sounds like you have a lot of people to watch your back. Sounds nice.." She cleared her throat, turning around to face him gently so as not to rock the bed. "I haven't seen another living person since this thing started. I've seen the Dead.. I've seen the dying.. When I first entered the city there were still people running about being attacked every other minute. Gunfire and explosions everywhere. And that was after everything had already climaxed, right before things got quiet and stayed that way." Jade sighed, trying to see Daryl through the dark. "I thought I would be just as scared of people if I ever _did _meet anyone simply because I know what people in desperate situations are capable of.. But I'm not. Shit, I'm sharing my bed with a strange man armed to the tooth. Is it because I'm really not afraid or is it just you?" She asked more to herself than Daryl. She reached out to where she assumed Daryl's face would be, gingerly touching his cheek, her thumb ghosting over his neck. "But it's another dark night, I can't see a thing, and I'm starting to doubt whether or not this is happening. Maybe I finally snapped. Maybe –"

A warm hand pressed against hers and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Trust me," his deep voice came rumbled. "I'm here." He took her hand from his face, grip still tight, and cradled it to his chest. Jade felt his breath hitch before he cleared his throat and spoke. "My brother.. He ain't the easiest to get on with. It was always gettin' him in shit. One day it got him handcuffed to a roof and left there, surrounded by Walkers. By the time I got there to get 'im, he had cut his hand off and was long gone. I ain't seen him since. He's a tough sum'bitch, better off for everyone passin' by 'im to leave him be and keep movin', but part of me hopes that he finds someone to watch his back."

"I'm so sorry." Jade whispered.

"Yeah, well.. Now will you stop yer jawin' so we can get some sleep?"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed Jade made to pull her hand from his but Daryl kept a firm grip. She relaxed into the warmth of company and slowly began to nod off, a smile on her face.

Not long after, somewhere between awake and dreaming, a far off noise shot Jade back to reality. Light at first but growing steadily louder, the snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves on the forest floor made Jade's heart catch in her throat. Unable to see and only to hear the sound of the moans of the Dead below overwhelmed her senses. Cold fear held her tight as she began to hyperventilate, trying hard to keep herself together and not make a sound. Regardless of not being able to see, she shut her eyes tight and kept her mind occupied with a mental check of her weapons stash finding slight relief in thinking of the weapons closest at hand.

Calming down some, though her chest still heaved, she was startled when Daryl took her hand in his. Having completely forgotten his existence during her panic he had to hold her tight to keep her from flailing out of the bed.

It was inexplicable, what happened next.

The noises of the horror below seemed to be muffled as Jades frantic heart slowed and her breathing evened. Her hand over Daryl's heart, she knew the same calm came over him. Gently, their lips met and their hands held tight as if afraid the lightest breeze would part them.

The kiss was chaste though leisurely, surrounded by the air of comfort that would have been coupled with a picnic on a lazy Saturday morning, under normal circumstances.

The one kiss led to another which led to another until Daryls hand loosened its grip on Jades and began lightly drawing shapes on her skin, sending shivers up her arm. Comfort and relaxation poured through their bodies as exhaustion crept up. She pressed closer to Daryl, her body now flush against his side, her leg straddling his waist.

This was how they drifted off to sleep.

And for the first time since the end of the world it was a slumber deep and without fear.


End file.
